R8020/8070 hood size compared to RS685?

Hi all,

I've just upgraded my 2016 CAADX 105 with a pair of RS685 shifters and hydro brakes.  I'm loving the braking and combined with a new RX800 mech the shifting is crisp and the brakes are a joy compared to my old mechanicals.  However, what i hadn't considered is that the hoods on the RS685 are significantly longer/deeper (not sure how to describe it), which means that i'm reaching further and now my arms are pretty much straight, this problem has been made worse by my switch from an 80mm stem to a 90 because the Redshift Shockstop doesn't come in 80, so i've got a cm or 2 more reach on the shifters and a cm on the stem more than i had before.  My bike fitter/physio has my saddle set almost all the way back to align my knees over the crank spindles so i don't have any scope to shift forward.  My frame is the correct size for me and looking at the gravel bikes I'm considering for when i replace my CAADX (Reilly Gradient is top of my list) the reach problem looks to be similar in their geometries.

I could go back to an 80 stem and sell the Shockstop but i absolutely love it and don't want to lose the benefit.  I have the bars on their highest position possible but that hasn't helped notably.  I really love the hydro brakes so going back to 105 mechanical is also not at all appealing.  Does anyone know if the R8020 or R8070 (I realise they are Di2) require less reach compared to the RS685?  If the difference was similar to the increase between my old 105 levers and my RS685s then i might consider upgrading the levers to R8020s rather than lose my stem suspension.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

dangle wrote:Great question. I have always referred to that measurements as 'reach' since we're already referring to almost every other horizontal measurement as reach.

The 685 / 785 levers were right about 1 cm longer in reach than their mechanical Ultegra 6800 / Dura Ace 9000 equivalents. I don't think Shimano has released any actual measurements and I'm sure the bike industry would be willing to disagree on how to measure them. The newer 8020 hydro levers you are asking about are supposed to be closer in reach to their mechanical equivalents and the reviews seem to agree. 

What handlebars are you using? Handlebar reach is something that could be looked as well if you're not already on something with a short reach. Most bike shops should carry a few handlebar options with a ~70 mm reach (about as short as it gets). Hold them up next to your current handlebars and see if something you like has a slightly shorter reach. 

Not knowing you or the person that fit you, I would say move your saddle a little further forward. The knee over pedal spindle isn't exactly the end-all in bicycle fitting.

Those 685/785 levers sure are polarizing. For me and my XL hands, I have never been as comfortable on anything as I am on those. I'm looking for new or nearly new 785 levers to pair with the newer Ultegra di2 kits. It's weird that there's multiple sizes of EVERYTHING on a bike except for the things you touch nearly as much as the saddle.

I'm riding Easton EA70 AX, which i really quite like.  They have 80mm reach, 120 drop, 16 degree flare.  I've been thinking i'd quite like a little more flare for more off-road control.  Options I've come up with:
- Cowchipper Deluxe: 68 reach, 116 drop, 24 degree flare, 293g
- Ritchey WCS Venturemax: 76, 102, 24, weight unknown
- Ritchey WCS Ergomax: 73, 128, 12, 270g, Di2 compatible
- Love Mud Spitfire: 70, 120, 16, 310g
- Spesh Hover: 70, 103, 12, weight unknown

Looks like the Cowchipper Deluxe might be a winner.  Those would buy me 12mm of reach and 4mm less drop, I can shuffle my saddle forward a few mil and add a degree or two of forward tilt back to my saddle, which combined might give me a comfortable reach whilst keeping my lovely hydro brakes and suspension stem.  I'd also get another 8 degrees of flare to give me more confidence when tooling around on mud, which i seem to be spending a worrying amount of time doing as the winter here sets in and we get more rain in off the Atlantic.

Of course it does remove the one rather weak excuse for upgrading to R8000 shifters to get the shorter reach that it sounds like they do offer.  But...it means that I can get back to being comfortable on my bike and means that i can focus my saving/drooling on the Reilly Gradient that i've set my sights on :-D  Of course once i've got that and saved up again, then i might be able to justify Di2.  On that subject - if I wanted to get the Di2 bar end junction box would i be able to drill the Cowchippers for the wires without too much danger of them falling apart on me?
EDIT: think i've just googled my own answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cON3w1IL_7k

dangle wrote:One thing to keep in mind is that there is no standard system for measuring reach and drop on handlebars. One companies 80 mm reach might be the same reach as another company's 90 mm. Those Salsa bars are truly compact and should give you what you're looking for. Another perk is that they are easily available through nearly any local bike shop. It just depends if you want light, lighter or lightest with a corresponding change in your wallet.

The hole for a di2 wire is pretty small, so I personally wouldn't worry too much if it were my own build. I did it with 31.8 aluminum Zipp handlebars in the area clamped in the stem and hid a junction box inside the stem. Then there's just one solo wire coming back out shrink wrapped to the brake cable.

londonbairn wrote:I have tried R8020, R8050 and R8070. My cyclo bike came with R8020 which I changed to R8070 immediately.

Although I have not measured the shifters, the R8070 is the best shifter of the three in terms of feeling in my view. The R8050 is very small and R8020 I find too big, bigger than the 7800/6600 of previous. The R8070 is slightly larger than the R8050 but also feels more "triangular" if that makes sense which I like the feeling. I also use the RX805 Di2 RD which I love.

PS I am from UK as well!

Jimbop wrote:
Amazing that there's no standard way of measuring reach on bars but I'm sure there's good reasons for it that I don't understand.

Cowchippers are tough to get hold of in the UK but I found a place in the US that ships internationally so will probably go for that option. I'm going to try adjusting the seat angle and move it fwd a smidge to see if I can get within my comfortable reach and if I can't then i'll pull the trigger on the Cowchippers.

Drilling for di2 - good to hear, sounds like a non-issue as long as done sensibly.

arctic84 wrote:the RS685 works with the RX800 ultegra rear derailleur?

dangle wrote:

Yes. 100%.